To Him who loves us …

Gladly and often we have already read or sung the above Bible text. This wonderful hymn of praise to our Lord Jesus touches our hearts and draws them to Him. We want to look more closely at the individual beauties of this unique song of praise in what follows.

A special greeting

This praise of our Lord Jesus Christ follows directly after a greeting that John sends at the beginning of Revelation to seven assemblies in Asia. Guided and inspired by the Spirit of God, John wishes these assemblies, in Revelation 1:4–5, “grace and peace” from God in His unchanging greatness (“who is and who was and who is to come”), from the Holy Spirit, seen in the variety and perfection of His working (“the seven Spirits who are before His throne”), and from Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus is presented here with the three wonderful titles “the faithful witness,” “the firstborn of the dead,” and “the ruler of the kings of the earth.” These titles speak above all of His majesty and royal glory. It is about the Lord Jesus in His relationship to the earth—and indeed with a view to past, present, and future. During His earthly life, He was “the faithful witness,” who perfectly revealed what comes from God and is truth (John 8:28; 12:49–50). Now He is “the firstborn of the dead”: the most glorious of all who have ever died. He has this preeminent position because He, the Pure One, died not because of His own sin, but because of the sins of others, and because He infinitely glorified God in His death (Ephesians 5:2). Therefore, as the One who died, He is the greatest of all. He is also “the firstborn from the dead” (Colossians 1:18), the most excellent and most glorious in the realm of the new creation, because as a Man He died, rose again, and is now in heaven at the right hand of God (1 Corinthians 15:20). In the future, He will be “the ruler of the kings of the earth.” He has not yet visibly assumed this position of power as the highest authority over all the kings of the earth, but the book of Revelation in particular shows us that He will assume it (Revelation 17:14; 19:11.16.19–21). He is the One who will have the last word over all the kings and rulers of the earth.

The response of our hearts

After this greeting, we find a wonderfully beautiful insertion in the form of the praise of the redeemed quoted at the beginning. The moment the Lord Jesus Christ is presented to the believing heart, it begins to cheer for Him with joy.

To …

The believer stands in a relationship to the Lord Jesus and may know Him (John 10:14). We have seen that here He is first presented with majestic titles of His exaltation and royal glory in His relationship to the earth. That greatly delights believers. But they also know their Redeemer and Lord in another, more intimate, way and a higher relationship. They know Jesus Christ personally as the One who loves them. And that urges them to strike up a song of praise to their Savior.

We know Christ personally.

… who loves us …

Every believer may know the Savior personally and enjoy the intimate relationship into which he has been brought to Him. But here the hearts of believers unite into a common song of praise. It does not say: “To Him who loves me …,” but: “To Him who loves us and washed us from our sins by His blood.” It is a shared portion. The statement is true for all believing Christians. We do not stand there in isolation, but may know ourselves connected with all believers in Him, and united with all believers in the desire to exalt our common Lord.

We are connected with other believers who also want to exalt Christ.

… loves …

Love is the essence of God (1 John 4:8.16). That is what makes it so great. The perfect object of God’s love from eternity is the only begotten Son in the bosom of the Father (Proverbs 8:30; John 17:24). But the love of God—and this is worthy of worship—did not remain within the Godhead. “But God,” writes the apostle Paul, “demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). And the Son, too, has demonstrated His love to those who claim His work of redemption for themselves. Every believer may know Him as “the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20). But together the saints may also express that “Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us” (Ephesians 5:2).

That He has loved us so is truly something that surpasses all knowledge (Ephesians 3:19). It is especially beautiful to see that the saints in our passage do not cry out: “To Him who loved us …,” but express themselves in the present tense: “To Him who loves us.” We know that the love with which we have been loved remains the same forever. Just as the Savior loved us when He went into death for us, so He still loves us today (John 13:1). The awareness of His present love delights our hearts, warms them for Him, and makes us love Him again from the heart (1 Peter 1:8).

His love toward us will never cease. It never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8). The assembly will be the bride, the wife of the Lamb, for eternity (Revelation 21:9.2) and will thus enjoy this special relationship of love and unity with Him.

Jesus Christ is the One who loves us—may we forever praise Him for it!

… and washed us from our sins …

Our Savior loves us. And how is this love shown? With joy, we think of the fact that He has washed us from our sins, which separated us from the holy presence of God. When we confessed our sins to God, He forgave them and cleansed us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Christ bore our sins in His body on the cross (1 Peter 2:24), died for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3), and became the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:10).

The expression “has washed us” makes it clear that this washing or cleansing from sins is a once-for-all fact that does not need to be repeated (cf. Hebrews 10:10.14). Without a doubt, the believer also needs an ongoing cleansing in his life. The foot washing instituted by the Lord makes this clear to us, for example (John 13:1–15). In addition, Ephesians 5:26 tells us that the Lord Jesus still cleanses His assembly today. The means of this repeated cleansing is the water, the word of God (through which we were also born again, John 3:5). But only a once-for-all cleansing is associated with the blood of Christ. We are very thankful to God for the continual cleansing from the dirt that clings to us daily as we walk over this earth. But we should not confuse it with the one-time cleansing of the repentant sinner through the blood of Jesus.

How wonderful it is that we may rest on the once-for-all sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ and can praise Him “who washed us from our sins.”

We have been cleansed from our sins once for all.

… by His blood …

When it says here that the Lord Jesus has washed us “in His blood,” it becomes clear that His precious blood was the means of our cleansing. In the Bible, blood is often a picture of life. In Deuteronomy 12:23, we read: “the blood is the life [or the soul].” Passages such as Genesis 9:4 and Leviticus 17:11, 14 also make this clear to us. His blood had to be shed so that we could be cleansed. Out of love, He was willing to give His life for this.

The value of His blood is immeasurable. From His Word we can catch a glimpse of the excellence of His blood: it is the precious blood of a lamb unblemished and spotless (1 Peter 1:19), which cleanses from all sin (1 John 1:7), by which we have been washed (Revelation 1:6) and our consciences have been cleansed (Heb 9:14). In contrast to the blood of bulls and goats, His blood is truly able to take away sins (Hebrews 10:3–4; 1 John 1:5). It is His blood by which He made peace (Colossians 1:20), by which we have redemption (Ephesians 1:7), have been justified (Rom 5:9), purchased for God (Revelation 5:9), brought near (Ephesians 2:13), and sanctified (Hebrews 13:12). Through His blood we have confidence to enter the sanctuary (Hebrews 10:19). Through His blood God has purchased the assembly (Acts 20:28), but it is also the basis of the new covenant with Israel (Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25), the blessings of which we believers are already allowed to enjoy and proclaim today (2 Corinthians 3:6). How infinitely valuable and precious is His blood!

That He gave His blood, His life, to cleanse us shows the measure of His love for us: He was willing to give everything (cf. Matthew 13:44)—Himself. Adorable Savior!

The means for the cleansing of sins is the precious blood of Jesus.

… and has made us …

The Lord has done even more. He has not only freed us from our burden of sins, but also made us into something glorious. Us, who were powerless, ungodly, sinners, and enemies (Romans 5:6, 8, 10), He has, in His grace, raised us to a wonderful position. Even now, we may be a kingdom and priests! This position is connected with a special dignity and a special nobility. The saying from Hannah’s prayer has been fulfilled for us through His mercy: “He raises the poor from the dust, He lifts the needy from the garbage heap, To make them sit with nobles; And He inherits them a seat of honor” (1 Samuel 2:8). But for that, we first had to be washed in His blood.

We were not only cleansed, but have also been given a wonderful position.

… into a kingdom …

Our Lord has made us into a kingdom. This is an incomprehensible blessing when we think of who we were. But in faith, we may rejoice that the One “who loves us” has made us that.

The expression “kingdom” presents three things to us:

Firstly, it points out that believers will reign (1 Cor 6:2–3; Revelation 20:4; Ephesians 1:10–11). It is great that the Lord Jesus enables those who, as natural people, have failed throughout in their responsibility, as redeemed people, to exercise responsibility and government in His mind and to His glorification. One can only say: “But where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Romans 5:20).

Secondly, “kingdom” makes it clear that it is a reign of the highest rank. The king is the sovereign of a kingdom who holds the highest governmental authority. He is subject to no one else, dependent on no one, and his word is binding for all subjects of his kingdom. How honorable it is, therefore, for believers to be called a kingdom! Reigning at the highest rank will, however, take place under the “King of kings.”

Thirdly, the expression “kingdom” indicates that the saints will not exercise these royal rights of rule individually for themselves. Although governmental authority will be apportioned differently (cf. Luke 19:17–19), the saints do not exercise this rule individually, but collectively. They are not described as “kings,” but as “a kingdom”. The exercise of rule is a shared blessing of believers. They will reign with others and in this sense “reign with Him” (2 Timothy 2:12).

From Revelation 20:4, we know that we will reign “with Christ for a thousand years.” He will then possess absolute ruling authority as King of kings and will exercise it over this earth as well. But in His goodness and grace, the absolute Sovereign lets His saints share in His royal rights. As a kingdom, His beloved will reign together with Him—not only in the Millennial Kingdom, but also for eternity (Revelation 22:5).

What will it be when the Lord Jesus reigns with us over this earth! But Revelation 1:6 does not say that He will make us into a kingdom, but that He has already made us into one. This dignity spurs us on to live today already in accordance with this exalted position. Outwardly, royal dignity is not yet visible in believers. But when His kingdom is revealed in glory, it will be visible to the whole world that we are a kingdom—yes, His kingdom. We will then be revealed with Him in glory (Col 3:4), and everything will be to His honor and glorification (2 Thessalonians 1:10).

We Christians have been made into a kingdom.

… priests to His God and Father …

Alongside the shared position as a kingdom, the worshiping believers also praise the Lord for having made them priests. As priests, the saints now offer sacrifices of praise to God through Him and glorify His name (1 Peter 2:5–9; Heb 13:15). In contrast to the time of the law, in the time of grace all saints have been raised to this position (1 Peter 2:5). And although the saints together indeed form a priesthood (1 Peter 2:9), it is said here that each believer has been brought into the position of a priest. How great is this grace, that we may carry out the priestly service together with others and also personally.

As we have seen, His blood is the basis for priestly access into the sanctuary, for which we, in contrast to the priests of the Old Testament, have confidence to enter at all times (Hebrews 10:19). What an exalted position we have been brought into, having been washed us in His blood!

But this did not happen primarily for us, but for His God and Father, who seeks worshipers (John 4:23). A writer explains in connection with the expression “priests to His God and Father” that we should distinguish the worship of the Father (John 4) and the priestly service for God (1 Peter 2:5), but by no means separate them from one another: “These are two aspects of the same thing, where we are seen once as children and sons of the Father, and once as priests of God—but indeed also of the Father! The latter expression shows us the intimate nearness and relationship, the other the loftiness and dignity that are connected with this service.” His God is now also our God, His Father our Father (John 20:17). Is that not a reason for worship when we consider what He has made of us for His God and Father?

We Christians have been made priests.

To Him be the glory …

Thus, the praise of the redeemed rises to the declaration: “To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” His saints ascribe glory and dominion to Him.

The glory of God includes the majestic revelation of His splendor as well as the greatness of His unlimited attributes. One commentator describes the glory of God with the words: “The revelation of God’s attributes is, in the proper sense, ‘glory’.” Everything that God shows of Himself or does reflects His glory.

In His grace, it has pleased God to reveal something of His glory to us: today it shines out to us in creation (Psalms 19:2; cf. Isaiah 6:3), in His holy Word, and in His beloved Son Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6; Hebrews 1:3).

The glory of God is not yet recognized and acknowledged by all people. On God’s part, it is only grace that He does not yet let His glory shine forth fully and visibly for all people, because this would mean immediate judgment on all evil, which cannot stand in the presence of the glory of God. However, the glory of the Lord will one day be revealed at His appearing, “and all flesh will see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken” (Isaiah 40:5; cf. Revelation 1:7).

But believers’ hearts already ascribe glory to their Lord today. They long for the day when His glory will be fully visible here on this earth and, finally, whether willingly or unwillingly, it will be acknowledged by all creation.

In our hearts we ascribe glory to the Lord.

… and the dominion …

To wash us from our sins, the Lord Jesus humbled Himself in His love and went into death (Philippians 2:8). But His humiliation is now over! Our Lord, who loves us, has now, after His completed work of redemption as Man, been given “all authority in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). Even if His dominion is not yet visible in the world (Hebrews 2:8), we nevertheless recognize with joy that the Man Christ Jesus already occupies the place of the highest dominion in heaven today (Ephesians 1:22; 1 Peter 3:22). This will one day become visible on earth before all creation (Revelation 5:6, 13). Then He will also glorify Himself in the exercise of dominion. But we already ascribe all dominion to Him today. Just as we long for the revelation of His glory, so we also desire the full revelation and acknowledgment of His dominion and authority over all creation. In His dominion, He will arrange, carry out, and judge all things so that everything will be for His glorification. What a triumph that will be!

We know that dominion belongs to the Lord and acknowledge it.

… forever and ever!

The praise of believers concerning the glory and dominion of their Redeemer ends with the expression “forever and ever.” This expresses that glory and dominion belong to Him forever.

We have seen that believers desire that His glory and dominion be seen and acknowledged. We know that this will surely be fulfilled when our Lord appears on this earth together with the saints “with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27) to establish the Millennial Kingdom. In His dominion, He will subject all things to Himself, and His glory will fill the earth (Philippians 3:21; Habakkuk 2:14).

Then His glory will dwell in the assembly, and the assembly will reflect His glory (Revelation 21:11, 23; John 17:22-23). Everything will be to His honor and glory, and we will bear His glory.

For all eternity we will praise the Lamb!

Amen.

With the word “Amen” (Literally: May it be so!) the praise that the apostle John has raised up is affirmed (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:16). It is the desire of the believing heart that what John has just expressed about the Lord Jesus should be so—and that it also will be so.

Every believer gladly affirms the praise.

We too may joyfully join in and bring the One who has loved us the worship of our hearts!